Expert Insights

September 26, 2013 Timkat Festival in Ethiopia

Read time – 2 minutes Throngs of white-clad festival-goers sleepily make their way to the holy baptismal pool. As the early morning sun starts to warm the crowds, the feeling of anticipation is palpable. Children climb trees to get good views and adults jostle for space. The priests and deacons arrive, their blue velvet robes...

September 26, 2013 Leader in the spotlight – Sayed in Egypt

We’re often asked what makes a small group adventure holiday so special. Some say the journey of discovery; some say travelling with like-minded people; some say the element of the unknown. We couldn’t agree more, but believe that none of these moments are possible without one person… the leader. We’re firm believers in our leaders,...

September 26, 2013 Ladakh and The Indian Himalaya

Read time – 2 minutes Sandwiched between the vast ranges of the Karakorum and the Himalaya in the far north of India is the highest, least populated, most remote and most beautiful region in the whole country. Lying in the rain shadow of the Himalaya, Ladakh is an ideal summer destination that enjoys plenty of sunshine. To...

September 26, 2013 Lost City of Petra: Past and present

Read time – minutes 200 years must seem a mere blip in the lifespan of a building carved in the 6th Century BC. Yet for us, those 200 years remain something to celebrate. It’s now been 200 years since Petra was rediscovered. So this August, let us raise a glass in honour of Petra: the...

September 26, 2013 Polar Bear Necessities

Read time – 3 minutes Sometimes there comes a day which breaks so many wildlife records that it will be indelibly etched on memory rather than megapixels, one where so many contributory factors combine to produce animal alchemy, a grail from the very top drawer. Spitsbergen is not just about Polar bears but on July...

September 26, 2013 Desert, Dunes & 4W Drives

“We’re not going back to camp yet. Not in this light” our leader, Durr, announces in his thick Afrikaans accent. “We’re not going up there are we?” a member of the group questions. He turns his head to face us at the helm of his indestructible 4×4 and smiles. After a vertical climb we gingerly...

September 26, 2013 Snow Place Like Home: Snowshoeing in the Dolomites

Crystal blue skies, the wind whistling past my ears and the crunch of snow compacting beneath my snowshoes – the landscape absorbed me. I let my thoughts drift like the falling snowflakes, just for a moment, on the snowy escarpment. All around me, the dramatic crags of the Dolomites seemed to pierce the cold air...

September 26, 2013 Walking the Great Wall of China

Read time – 3 minutes The Great Wall of China can be seen from the International Space Station, (although the view was probably better before China’s industrial might took hold) and I dream of one day seeing it from space for myself – in fact I am saving as quickly as I can for this...

September 26, 2013 Walking in Andalucia – A Moorish Land

Read time – 1 minute Liquid gold light tumbles through the hot, dry air. Andalucia is a land drenched in tawny yellow hues, amber and ochre blurred in a haze of heat. This pastoral world follows the undulations of the seasons, and slopes are perfect for growing olives and lemons. They hang from bleached, pale...

September 26, 2013 A Walking Holiday in Greece

Read time -3 minutes I have been walking for the past 37 years (I think I was 13 months when I started) but never realised that walking could be such good fun. First, some facts about me: I smoke, drink a bit, have a few extra pounds around my waist, never exercise and prefer to drive...